Chapter 899 988 Has Always Existed

Jiugang Xuanweisi was an administrative establishment of the Ming Dynasty. Its seat was located in Palembang, Sumatra, Indonesia. The first Jiugang Xuanwei Envoy was Shi Jinqing.

In the third year of Yongle in the Ming Dynasty, in 1405 AD, Shi Jinqing, an overseas Chinese businessman, assisted Zheng He's fleet in sailing. During the period, he also participated in the suppression of Chen Zuyi's pirate corps. After that, Shi Jinqing sent his son-in-law to the Ming Dynasty to meet Chengzu.

In order to commend Shi Jinqing's "loyalty and righteousness", Chengzu granted Shi Jinqing the title of Jiugang Xuanwei Envoy.

The establishment of Jiugang Xuanweisi was one of the few times in Chinese history that the court directly granted a title to Han Muslims, and it was also one of the few overseas "enclaves" in Chinese history.

The Ming Dynasty navy built a city wall and warehouse in Malacca in the Strait of Malacca as a transit station for operating the West, which was a major achievement of Zheng He's voyage to the West.

Sumatra Island, where the Jiugang Xuanwei Office is located, is a large island in the west of Indonesia in Southeast Asia. It covers an area of ​​470,000 square kilometers and is the sixth largest island in the world and the largest island independently owned by Indonesia.

Sumatra Island is located on the equator and is one of the four main islands of the Greater Sunda Islands. It has a tropical rainforest climate.

It faces the Malay Peninsula across the Strait of Malacca in the northeast, the Indian Ocean in the west, the South China Sea in the east, Java Island across the Sunda Strait in the southeast, and the Andaman Islands in the north.

Sumatra Island is northwest-southeast oriented and mainly consists of two parts, including the Barisan Mountains in the west and the lowland plains in the east.

Choosing Jiugang as the station should be said to be a very wise choice for Zheng He. This place controls the Strait of Malacca and can effectively control the traffic between the East and West Oceans.

Unfortunately, with the weakening of the Ming Dynasty, especially the death of Zheng He on his way back, the official ocean-going fleet of the Ming Dynasty disappeared from then on.

The traditional view of the reason why the Ming Dynasty stopped its voyages to the West was that it wasted the national treasury and increased the burden on the country and the people. However, some experts believe that it was related to the fact that Zheng He's fleet monopolized overseas trade and was jointly blocked by some officials and businessmen.

But in any case, the Jiugang Xuanweisi, which Zheng He conquered during his voyages to the West, lost the support of the Ming Dynasty and became difficult to survive, and the ambitions of the Majapahit Kingdom became more exposed.

After more than ten years of struggle, facing the aggressive Majapahit Kingdom, the second Jiugang Xuanwei envoy Shi Erjie had to adapt to reality and accept the complete rule of Majapahit, which meant that the Jiugang Xuanweisi had come to an end.

It took only thirty-three years from the establishment of the Jiugang Xuanweisi to its disappearance.

Here, we have to mention the origin of the Jiugang Xuanweisi.

"Xuanweisi" began to appear in the Jin Dynasty, and it was not until the Yuan Dynasty that it was widely popularized.

The administrative structure of the Yuan Dynasty established by the Mongols was very different from that of the Tang and Song Dynasties. In the local administrative settings, there was an additional "Xuanweisi" between the "province" and the "state".

The Yuan Dynasty established a total of 60 Xuanweisi, each of which had several states under its jurisdiction. It mainly served to connect and communicate the upper and lower administrative units. It seemed a bit like a "megaphone" and did not have complete administrative functions. Moreover, most of the names were long, such as "Shandong East-West Road Xuanweisi" and "Guangxi West Liangjiang Road Xuanweisi".

After the Ming Dynasty replaced the Yuan Dynasty, the local administrative settings underwent another major change. "Provinces" became "provincial administrations" and "states" became "prefectures". All Xuanweisi in the interior were abolished and only retained in the southwestern border. Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Di both established multiple Xuanweisi.

In fact, Xuanweisi is not a fixed title. The Ming Dynasty history books also have names such as "Xuanfusi", "Anfusi" and "Zhaotaosi", and their actual functions are basically the same.

From the two words "Xuanwei", it can be seen that the duty of Xuanweisi is to convey government orders and comfort the people on behalf of the emperor and the court.

The Ming Dynasty later integrated these Xuanweisi into "Three Xuanfu Si and Six Wei". "Three Xuanfu Si" refers to Nandian, Ganya and Longchuan, three Xuanfusi, and "Six Wei" refers to Cheli, Myanmar, Mubang, Babai Dadian, Mengyang and Laos, six Xuanweisi.

"Three Xuanfu Si and Six Wei" are all located in the southwestern land border of the Ming Dynasty, which played a great role in consolidating border security and stability. The Jiugang Xuanweisi, far away on the coast of Nanyang, reflects the peak moment of the Ming Dynasty and even the entire ancient China's overseas strategy.

The Majapahit Kingdom, with Java as its core, was confident after defeating the Yuan Dynasty and continued to attack the remnants of the Srivijaya Kingdom on Sumatra, and finally completely destroyed it in 1397.

However, the Majapahit Kingdom did not establish a stable rule on Sumatra, and the island fell into chaos. Local Chinese flocked to Jiugang for refuge.

The wars at the end of the Yuan Dynasty and the beginning of the Ming Dynasty caused more Chinese to go to Southeast Asia, which greatly increased the number of Chinese in places such as Jiugang, and some Chinese armed forces took advantage of the situation.

They were both merchants and pirates, and had strong maritime forces. They actually controlled Jiugang, and sometimes fought with the Majapahit Kingdom. They were no different from independent kingdoms, and at most they were vassals on the surface.

With the arrival of a large number of Arab merchants and immigrants in the Indonesian archipelago, Islam began to spread, and the Chinese in Jiugang, who were mainly engaged in business, were affected. Shi Jinqing, the leader of a Chinese armed force in Jiugang, was a Muslim.

Under the governance of Emperor Yongle Zhu Di, the national strength of the Ming Dynasty entered its heyday.

In the third year of Yongle, in order to declare to all overseas nations that the Ming Dynasty had replaced the Mongols and Yuan Dynasty as the legitimate Chinese dynasty, and to promote the prosperity of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Di sent Zheng He to lead a fleet to the Western Ocean.

The "Western Ocean" here refers to the west of the "Southeast Ocean", which is now the Indian Ocean.

Zheng He's fleet had more than 200 ships, not only equipped with more than 20,000 sailors and soldiers, but also loaded with Chinese silk, porcelain, tea and other commodities for rewards and trade. Spices, rare woods, gold and silver and other valuables brought back from Southeast Asia and the West also enriched the Ming Dynasty's treasury and made a lot of profit.

The huge wealth also attracted countless greedy eyes.

Chen Zuyi, who was entrenched in Jiugang, learned that Zheng He's fleet was carrying a large number of rare treasures brought back from the West, and decided to intercept them on the way back.

His plan was to pretend to surrender to Zheng He first, and then launch a surprise attack when the Ming army relaxed its vigilance.

Chen Zuyi's conspiracy was discovered by Shi Jinqing, another Chinese armed leader. Shi Jinqing was a second-generation Chinese born overseas and believed in Islam. Zheng He was also a Muslim, and the same religious beliefs made the two have a good relationship.

So, Shi Jinqing, who was devoted to the Ming Dynasty, secretly told Zheng He about Chen Zuyi's sneak attack plan.

Zheng He had followed Zhu Di to fight on the battlefield, and had seen many conspiracies and fights. He had seen through Chen Zuyi's tricks very early. Now with Shi Jinqing as an insider, he easily eliminated Chen Zuyi's pirates, captured him alive and brought him back to the capital for execution, eliminating a major threat on the way to the West.

After eliminating Chen Zuyi's forces, Shi Jinqing became the actual ruler of Jiugang, and sent people to Beijing to meet with him and show his loyalty to Emperor Yongle Zhu Di.

So in the fifth year of Yongle, Zhu Di issued an order to establish Jiugang Xuanwei Division, appointed Shi Jinqing as Jiugang Xuanwei Envoy, and granted him a golden seal and official uniform, and Jiugang Xuanwei Division was incorporated into the territory of the Ming Dynasty.

Jiugang Xuanwei Division was surrounded by wolves, and it was only with the Ming Dynasty as a backer that it could have a stable life in Nanyang.

Whether Jiugang Xuanwei Division was considered Ming Dynasty territory has always been controversial.

Because the Ming Dynasty did not send officials and garrisons to Jiugang, nor did it collect taxes, it was weaker than the Yuan Dynasty's short-lived rule over the Majapahit Kingdom. The Yuan Dynasty at least sent officials and troops to Java Island.

Moreover, the connection between Jiugang Xuanweisi and the Ming Dynasty was limited to a few tributes, and its status was similar to that of a vassal state.

In addition, Shi Jinqing also paid tribute to the Majapahit Kingdom to maintain peaceful relations.

In Wei Guangde's eyes, it was not important whether Jiugang Xuanweisi was considered Ming territory. As long as the emperor and the cabinet of the Ming Dynasty thought it was, it must be, and it was not.

In the past, Wei Guangde did not dare to make plans for overseas lands because he knew that the Ming Dynasty's military strength was weak at that time, and it would be difficult to win a war against foreign countries.

Even if he won, it would be a miserable victory, which was really not worth the loss.

But after seeing the Jizhen Army trained by Qi Jiguang, Wei Guangde's attitude changed significantly.

After the successful implementation of the Liaodong strategy in a few years, let Qi Jiguang take over Li Chengliang's post as the Liaodong General, and then let him rebuild such an army in Liaodong.

With a 30,000-man army, the Ming Dynasty will have the confidence to send troops.

It seems that it is safe to send one army overseas and one army to Jizhen to protect the capital.

In the next few years, we have to find the Ministry of Works to solve the ship problem. We need large ships that can carry more troops at one time.

Let's not talk about other places for the time being. Go to Jiugang all the way to restore the court's rule over Jiugang, and then figure out the sphere of influence of Europeans in Nanyang, and then slowly plan.

As for whether Zhang Juzheng will agree, and the attitude of the palace, Wei Guangde actually has a bottom line in his mind.

Although the Jiugang Xuanwei Office no longer exists, the court has never issued an order to abolish the Xuanwei Office.

In other words, although the court has never conferred titles on the Jiugang Xuanwei Envoy, this office and this official position still exist.

It just so happened that the fleet went south on the grounds that the Xuanweisi of Jiugang had not come to Beijing for an audience for a long time. No matter who has the final say there, it is a basis for sending troops.

Because the court had never sent officials and garrisons to Jiugang, but it was governed by local Chinese, so the court did not issue a document when it gave up Jiugang, otherwise it would have sent ships south to pick up people.

It was also thanks to his excellent memory that he remembered that he had indeed not seen the document of the court abolishing the Xuanweisi of Jiugang.

However, Wei Guangde still made up his mind to go back and check.

As long as this matter is confirmed, it can also be used as a reason. I think as long as Zhang Juzheng is convinced, the attitude of the palace will not be important.

However, the most troublesome thing is silver.

The Ministry of Revenue is afraid that it will not be willing to provide financial support for raising silver to build a large ship to go to Nanyang again, and everything can only be done by the Ministry of Works.

Fortunately, it has been written to the coastal provinces of Jiangnan in the name of preparing for the Japanese to provide part of the funds for the shipbuilding of the navy fleet. At that time, this batch of silver can be directly transferred over, which can share part of the pressure of the Ministry of Works.

Besides, isn't there the Minister of War, Tan Lun?

Is the Ministry of War so stingy in setting up a navy to go to Nanyang?

Thinking of this, Wei Guangde couldn't help but look at Tan Lun.

"Shan Dai, why are you looking at me?"

Being stared at by Wei Guangde like this, Tan Lun instinctively felt that something was wrong.

Just now, Wei Guangde mentioned the Jiugang Xuanwei Office, and Tan Lun was also recalling the records he had seen in his mind.

But he was really not familiar with it. After all, no one in the Ming Dynasty had mentioned this office for many years, and it was only occasionally mentioned in some documents of the Ministry of War.

But Tan Lun also knew that this Jiugang Xuanwei Office was in Nanyang, thousands of miles away from Guangdong Province. Later, because Zheng He's fleet no longer went south, they also cut off contact with them.

When Wei Guangde mentioned this, Tan Lun naturally understood what he meant.

It was really difficult for Zhang Juzheng to refuse to send a ship south in the name of Jiugang Xuanwei Office.

We have cut off contact for so many years, shouldn't we send someone to check it out? After all, it was Emperor Yongle who awarded him the gold seal and official uniform.

However, for ordinary people, Wei Guangde can say this, but the court must be strict and prudent in handling affairs.

Wei Guangde's reason seems reasonable, but after all, the Ming Dynasty has long forgotten this old port Xuanwei Division for a long time.

Just now, Tan Lun had already thought that in the "Map of Huangming Yuge" he had seen in the Ministry of War, there was no annotation of the Xuanwei Department of Old Port, and even the six Xuanwei Departments of Laos and Myanmar were not mentioned. In the end, In the west, it only reaches the western Yunnan area.

"Huang Ming Yu Di Map" is also the official map of the Ming Dynasty. It is a complete map of the territory drawn during the Jiajing period.

Although there is no provincial map left on this map, the jurisdiction of the Ming Dynasty is marked at the bottom of the map, including the "Two Capitals and Thirteen Provinces" as well as the lower-level administrative regions such as Fuzhou, Xuanweisi and other chieftains under the jurisdiction of each province.

"I'm thinking that the Ministry of Industry will contribute part of the money, and the coastal provinces will also contribute part. Should your Ministry of War also provide some funding?"

Wei Guangde said.

"Shandai, let's convince the people in the court first. Have you read "The Map of the Emperor Ming's Land"?"

Tan Lun said.

I didn't think of it before, but now that I have thought of it, I have to tell Wei Guangde early to avoid being pointed out and catching him off guard.

"A map of Huangming's territory?"

Hearing Tan Lun mention the map, Wei Guangde thought for a moment and then shook his head.

"That was a map of the territory of the Ming Dynasty drawn during the Jiajing period. Although it was not detailed, it listed the provinces, prefectures, prefectures and various Xuanwei departments under the jurisdiction of the imperial court. There was no Xuanwei department in Old Port among them."

Tan Lun said.

"Which yamen drew this?"

Wei Guangde thought about it again and confirmed that he had never seen this map before, so he asked.

"We have to go back and check. Maybe it was painted by the Ministry of War or the inner court. The palace and the Ministry of War have preserved it."

Tan Lun said.

"I have read most of the documents collected by the Hanlin Academy and the Ministry of Rites, but I have never seen this map."

Wei Guangde opened his mouth to explain.

"This makes sense. This kind of map is usually only kept in the palace and the Ministry of War. It is not found in other yamen. It is normal that you have never seen it.

However, this map does not record the Xuanwei Department of Old Port, which means that Old Port was not included in the Ming Dynasty during the Jiajing Dynasty. "

Tan Lun reminded me.

"Ignore him, as long as there is no will to abolish the Xuanwei Department of Old Port, it will always exist."

Wei Guangde didn't want to think about these minutiae. Who the hell cared whether it made sense to expand his territory to Southeast Asia, prepare for the Little Ice Age after the Ming Dynasty, and reserve places to obtain food.

Wei Guangde had previously recalled the term "Little Glacier in the late Ming Dynasty" and knew that natural disasters led to civil unrest in the late Ming Dynasty.

To fundamentally solve the domestic food problem, the only way is to go to Southeast Asia and obtain food from tropical areas.

In fact, this is due to Wei Guangde's lack of historical knowledge, because the food shortage in the Ming Dynasty was actually in the north, and the south had less impact. (End of chapter)